* "Most spoken" can be ambiguous: It can mean the language with the most native speakers, or the language with the most total speakers (including non-native speakers).
* Chinese is a complex concept: "Chinese" isn't a single language, but a family of languages, with Mandarin being the most dominant.
* Different sources have different data: Depending on the source you consult, you may see different figures for the number of speakers of Chinese.
Here's a breakdown:
* By native speakers: Mandarin Chinese is likely the most spoken language in the world, with around 950 million native speakers. However, Hindi is a close contender with around 600 million native speakers.
* By total speakers: English is likely the most spoken language in the world, with around 1.5 billion speakers. This includes both native and non-native speakers.
So, while Mandarin Chinese has the most native speakers, English is the language with the most speakers overall.
It's important to be mindful of these distinctions when discussing "most spoken" languages.